Column: Early transportation in Boone County

8:15 PM,
Jul. 21, 2013

Schiffer

Written by

Tom Schiffer

Ignoring foot and hoof, Boone County was initially served best by the Ohio River as a transportation route. From the earliest times, the river provided the most expeditious way into Boone County from the east. It also provided an avenue of commerce, or at least, a vehicle for selling excess production.

New Orleans in the early part of the 19th century was a much more lucrative market than anything closer. Steamers made that commerce easier, but there were other markets in the south where rivers did not flow.

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad penetrated the state before either of the two later ...